# Windows Galore... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 8, 2003, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-galore/212073 "2003-11-08T14:50:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![herman\_and\_bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f1d935/32.png) [@herman\_and\_bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/herman_and_bill)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-galore/212073/1 "2003-11-08T14:50:27Z")
Windows xp… While surfing I suddenly get a multitude of windows opening up, maybe as much as 40. All have the “Did Not Find Server message.” It is impossible to close them out and the coomputer is locked up until they run their course, where upon they suddenly close out taking the desired windows with them. Any body have the quick fix? ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-galore/212073/2 "2003-11-08T15:33:15Z")
Does this happen when you visit a particular website? If so, don’t go there again! (“Doctor, it hurts if I do this.” “Don’t do that.”) If not, it sounds like you’ve got yourself some adware/scumware/whatever. Get AdAware and/or Spybot (both freebies), and turn them loose on your machine. ---
**Author:** ![herman\_and\_bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f1d935/32.png) [@herman\_and\_bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/herman_and_bill)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-galore/212073/3 "2003-11-08T15:47:04Z")
Its kind of random, even on SD, I have Spybot, AdAware and Norton on here. ---
**Author:** ![lilbtagna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4491bb/32.png) [@lilbtagna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lilbtagna)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-galore/212073/4 "2003-11-08T16:02:39Z")
Have you updated Spybot and Adaware? Both programs are updated pretty often with new definitions and things to look for. ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-galore/212073/5 "2003-11-08T16:04:23Z")
Use pop-up blockers ---
**Author:** ![Early\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Early\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Early_Out)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-galore/212073/6 "2003-11-08T16:55:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Urban Ranger \* > \*\*Use pop-up blockers \*\* This would cure the symptom, but not the cause. The SDMB doesn’t produce ANY popups at all. If you’re getting them while perusing these Boards, you’ve got some other problem going on, and it needs to be addressed. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2003, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-galore/212073/7 "2003-11-08T18:15:34Z")
We had a summer intern at work who spent a considerable amount of time surfing the web. After she left to return to school, we were asked to investgate a problem with here computer. When one opened IE on the machine, it defaults to an intranet home page (no popups). Immediately the popus started. It was impossible to do anything with the computer because within a minute, there were literally dozens and dozens of popups. The problem was so bad we had to reimage the hard drive. The spyware was everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-galore/212073/8 "2003-11-09T00:08:10Z")
Sounds like a popup adware infection, where the server they’re advertising has been abandoned. Are there any URLs listed in any of the windows? That would help identify the culprit. ---
**Author:** ![DreadCthulhu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DreadCthulhu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DreadCthulhu)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-galore/212073/9 "2003-11-09T01:12:24Z")
Definatly sounds like spyware - update your spybot, and get Ad-Aware; both programs sometimes catch stuff the other misses. Also, if you are using Internet Explorer as your browser, I reccomend switching to either Mozilla/Firebird or Opera. These browsers don’t seem to be as easy for spyware to lodge itself into your system as IE, and they have built-in pop-up blockiing, and tabbed browsing, which is wonderful for viewing sites like SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![herman\_and\_bill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f1d935/32.png) [@herman\_and\_bill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/herman_and_bill)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2003, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-galore/212073/10 "2003-11-09T11:25:19Z")
Yep it sounds lilke some kind of infection. I just can’t applaud these companies that think their product is so great they have to sneak it thru the back door.